Community West Bancshares, incorporated under the laws of the state of California,
is a bank holding company providing full service banking through its wholly-owned
subsidiary Community West Bank, N.A..
Through its wholly owned bank, the Company provides a variety of financial
products and services to customers including lending and deposit products. The
Company has primarily focused on meeting the needs of professionals, small to
mid-sized businesses and individual households.The Company has a financing program
for manufactured housing to provide affordable home ownership.
These loans are offered in approved mobile home parks throughout California
primarily on or near the coast. The parks must meet specific criteria. The manufactured
housing loans are secured by the manufactured home and are retained in the Company’s
loan portfolio.
The Company has an agricultural lending program for agricultural land, agricultural
operational lines, and agricultural term loans for crops, equipment and livestock.
The primary product is supported by guarantees issued from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (“USDA”), Farm Service Agency (“FSA”),
and the USDA Business and Industry loan program. The FSA loans typically issue
a 90% guarantee up to $1,392,000 (amount adjusted annually based on inflation)
for up to 40 years.
CWB is an approved Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (“Farmer
Mac”) lender under the Farmer Mac I and Farmer Mac II Programs. Under
the Farmer Mac I Program, loans are sourced by CWB, underwritten, funded and
serviced by Farmer Mac. CWB receives an origination fee and an ongoing field
servicing fee for maintaining the relationship with the borrower and performing
certain loan compliance monitoring, and other duties as directed by the Central
Servicer. The Farmer Mac II Program was authorized by Congress in 1991 to establish
a uniform national secondary market for originators and investors using the
USDA guaranteed loan programs. Under this program, CWB will sell the guaranteed
portions of USDA loans directly to Farmer Mac’s subsidiary, Farmer Mac
II LLC, services the loans, and retains the unguaranteed portions of those loans
in accordance with the terms of the existing USDA guaranteed loan programs.
Eligible loans include FSA and Business and Industrial loans. To participate
in the program, CWB was subject to the requirement of purchasing 2,000 shares
of Farmer Mac Class A Stock (“AGM”).
CWB has been a preferred lender/servicer of loans guaranteed by the Small Business
Administration (“SBA”) since 1990. The Company originates SBA loans
which can be sold into the secondary market. The Company continues to service
these loans after sale and is required under the SBA programs to retain specified
amounts. The two primary SBA loan programs that CWB offers are the basic 7(a)
Loan Guaranty (“SBA 7(a)”) and the Certified Development Company
(“CDC”), a Section 504 (“504”) program.
The SBA 7(a) serves as the SBA’s primary business loan program to help
qualified small businesses obtain financing when they might not be eligible
for business loans through normal lending channels. Loan proceeds under this
program can be used for most business purposes including working capital, machinery
and equipment, furniture and fixtures, land and building (including purchase,
renovation and new construction), leasehold improvements and debt refinancing.
Loan maturity is generally up to 10 years for working capital and up to 25 years
for fixed assets. The 7(a) loan is approved and funded by a qualified lender,
guaranteed by the SBA and subject to applicable regulations. In general, the
SBA guarantees up to 85% of the loan amount depending on loan size. The Company
is required by the SBA to retain a contractual minimum of 5% on all SBA 7(a)
loans. The SBA 7(a) loans are typically variable interest rate loans.
The 504 program is an economic development-financing program providing long-term,
low down payment loans to expanding businesses. Typically, a 504 project includes
a loan secured from a private-sector lender with a senior lien, a loan secured
from a CDC (funded by a 100% SBA-guaranteed debenture) with a junior lien covering
up to 40% of the total cost, and a contribution of at least 10% equity from
the borrower. Debenture limits are $5.0 million for regular 504 loans and $5.5
million for those 504 loans that meet a public policy goal.
The Company exited the lending market for conforming residential real estate
loans sold into the secondary market to focus on the manufactured housing sector.
State banking law generally limits the amount of funds that a bank may lend
to a single borrower. Under federal law, the unsecured obligations of any one
borrower to a national bank generally may not exceed 15% of the sum of the bank’s
unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus; and the secured and unsecured obligations
of any one borrower to a bank generally may not exceed 25% of the unimpaired
capital and unimpaired surplus.